How the Ramion Stories came to be written

I have three sons Julius, Alexander and Benjamin born in 1984, 1985 and 1987. When Julius was very little he was content with the same story every night (it was based on Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graeme). By the age of 3 or 4 he became more demanding. He wanted a different story every night. But he would help me. He would say, “Dad tonight I want a story about the witch Griselda, the rabbit Scrooey-Looey and it starts like this.” He would then start the story with one sentence and say, “Off you go Dad!” and I would have to continue the story without any idea what was going to happen.

I would find myself in impossible situations with the boys about to be eaten by the witch and I had to develop all sorts of tricks to save them: spells that went wrong, a little dragon Drago who spat balls of fire, a lion of icing and many others. The boys and I developed the stories together. We even all sat down around the kitchen table doing illustrations, although (sadly) in the end they grew up leaving me to carry on the stories alone, telling them to other children.

Julius read English and History of Art at Southampton University. Alexander did a Fine Art degree in painting at Wimbledon College of Art in London graduating with the top prize for the best degree show: currently trying to establish himself as an abstract painter. What Benjamin intends to do with his life remains wholly uncertain.